Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
Yes, there is such a phenomenon known as Video Games Live (VGL), and no, you don’t have to be a child to be entertained. In fact, I daresay adults will chuckle and grin more often than young ones will. The idea for VGL was conceived back in 2005, as a show based on a live orchestra playing video game themes with strobe lights and other interactive features added in. This particular segment marked VGL’s return tour stop in Seattle, and it paid tribute to games as old as Super Mario Brothers and Frogger, to those as recent as Assassin’s Creed and Halo. There was even an audience costume contest, and other costumed characters who came out and performed, including the lovely Laura Intrevia doing her YouTube hit, “Flute Link: Zelda Medley.” Guest appearances were also made by head conductor and video game composer Wataru Hokoyama, and Halo composers Marty O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori. The event was hosted by VGL founder Tommy Tallarico, whose enthusiasm drove the show.
This is a must-see for gamers and non-gamers alike.
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
Photos of Thee Midnight Creep, aka Bill Campbell, playing the autoharp and singing some original tunes live in-studio at KEXP on Saturday night. More photos available on Flickr.
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
This past weekend, Advance Auto Parts brought the Monster Jam truck rally to the Tacoma Dome. Prior to Saturday’s back-to-back shows, fans had the chance to participate in the Party in the Pits special, where fans could collect autographs and photos with the superstar trucks and their drivers. Twelve nationally-touring trucks made appearances, including the highly-acclaimed Grave Digger and Superman. Special appearances were also made by Captain USA, the only local Washington truck, and Mohawk Warrior, driven by George Balhan.
The Monster Jam show consisted of two main competitions: a speed-trial, won by the Lucas Oil Crusader, and a freestyle tournament, won by Grave Digger Legend. Full results and a recap of the whole Tacoma event can be found on the Monster Jam website. Some of my event photos can be found below, and more can be found on my Flickr (Party in the Pits on Flickr; Monster Jam show on Flickr).
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
Local Seattle band Pablo Trucker performed a live in-studio performance on Saturday, with KEXP DJ Sharlese. Band members Brian Wagner (guitar, vocals), Andrew Rudd (drums, vocals), and Kory Kruckenberg (bass). Hear the whole performance here, and see more in-studio photos on the band’s website here.
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
Snowpocalypse 2011 has hit the United States, with snow reported in 49 states, including Hawaii’s Big Island (Florida being the lone exclusion). As light snow fell from the sky in Seattle on the evening of January 11, it gradually accumulated in soft pillows on the ground. It was chaos for drivers, and a joy for those seeking to play in powder.
In the downtown neighborhood of Capitol Hill, Cal Anderson Park was blanketed with untouched mounds of snow that turned into a combination snowball fight and nesting ground for snowmen.
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
What better way to ring in the new year than in a new city! Last year was in the rainforests of Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica, and although this year was a little more local, it was still a brand new experience. I admit to previously having a preference of driving several hours north to B.C. rather than south, so this was my first time spending more than a quick day trip in Portland. Still, I couldn’t have thought of a better place (and better company) to ring in 2011. Beyond the Portland “essentials” of every trip (Powell’s, Stumptown Coffee, VooDoo Donuts), I didn’t know what else the City of Roses had to offer, so nearly everything was a first time experience, beginning with the Trail Blazers basketball game on the first night (and wouldn’t you know it, they won, beating Utah Jazz!). More photos on Flickr.
Located in the west hills of Portland, this 5.5 acre Japanese garden is one of the most authentic outside of Japan. Within the garden are five distinct garden styles, each conveying its own desired effect, including peace, harmony, tranquility, and oneness with nature. Since we visited during the wintry temperatures of 40 degrees and below, much of the ponds and fountains were partially if not all frozen over, making for stunningly glassy effects, many with leaf imprints.
Not far from the Japanese Garden is Council Crest Park, the highest point in the Tualatin Mountains (West Hills) at 326 metres above sea level. On a clear day, one can have a view of Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St Helens from this viewpoint.
Situated on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the State of Oregon. It is also supposedly the third tallest waterfall in the United States. This tiered waterfall is 189 metres in total height, and has a width of about 3 metres. Although icicles and frozen water lined the foliage, the waterfall itself fell down at full blast.
Not far from Multnomah Falls is Crown Point, a scenic lookout providing a gorgeous panoramic view of the Columbia River. According to Wikipedia, Crown Point stands 223 metres above the river, and consists of lava flow remains. The afternoon of our visit, the wind was a force to be reckoned with, blowing hard enough to prevent anyone from going more than a few steps before being knocked to the side.
Located under the east end of the Burnside Bridge, this skatepark has been featured in Tony Hawk video games, and was also in the 1993 feature film Free Willy. In this case, it also featured a little kid who could skate circles around any adults in the park.
Portland, like Seattle, is full of vintage thrift stores, but this one was particularly interesting. Full of things your grandmother’s grandmother probably used on a daily basis, Really Good Stuff proves that someone else’s junk truly is someone else’s treasure, whether it be sealed issues of Playboy from the 1950’s, or postcards with actual notes and addresses transcribed on them. One of the best “junk” stores in the PNW.
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
The best way to accomplish something is to have a goal. In the spirit of some inspirational travel bloggers I’ve been following lately (ie. John Goddard and Where is Jenny), below is an ultimate bucket list for my life.
Life List
Do something newsworthy – (Nov 2011 – Seoul)
Be on the radio
Have a photo published in a national publication (Jul 2010 – NY Mag; Apr 2011 – Pitchfork)
Have a photo published in an overseas publication – (2011 – Loud & Quiet)
Change someone’s life for the better – (Nov 2009 – Cambodia; Nov 2011 – Seoul)
Be on television – (2002 – Hawaii TV Cooking Show)
To Learn
Be conversational in Spanish, French, German, Mandarin
Snowboarding
Surfing
Salsa Dancing
Tango
Riding a motorcycle
Cultural Events
Burning Man – Nevada, USA
Mardi Gras – New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Chinese Lunar New Year – China
Hogmanay – Edinburgh, Scotland
Oktoberfest – Munich, Germany
La Tomatina – Valencia, Spain
Running of the Bulls – Pamplona, Spain
Camino de Santiago – Spain
Christmas at the Vatican – Vatican City, Italy – (Dec 2007)
Christmas and New Years in Costa Rica (Jan 2010)
La Tomatina – Valencia, Spain
Holi – India
Carnival – Venice, Italy
New Years Eve in Times Square – NYC, New York – USA
Olympic Games
World Cup
McDonald’s Thanksgiving parade in Chicago (
Activities to Try
Sky dive
Swim in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans
Kayak – sea and fresh water
White water raft
Bungee jump
Wakeboard
Whale watch
Swim with dolphins
Backpack and spend the night in a tropical rainforest
Backpack a mountain
Paddleboard
Paddle a canoe
Cliff dive
Base jump
Sandboarding
Ride a jetski
Ride an elephant
Be in a cage with tigers
Ride a camel
Have an enormous snake wrapped around my body
Go hang gliding
Go cage diving with sharks
Scuba Dive
Paraglide
Parasail
See lava flow from an active volcano
Sing karaoke in a bar in Asia
Bask under a waterfall
Go fishing
Ride a horse
Shave my head
Mush a dog sled
Ride a mechanical bull
Drive a Lamborghini
Shoot a gun
Drive a Mercedes Benz
Play paintball
Go underground caving
Sleep under the stars
Sleep on a beach
Run a marathon
Eat a bug
Get a tattoo
Build a house
Sponsor a child
Teach English to a non-native speaker
Take a random bus/train with no idea where I’ll end up
Ride in a hot air balloon
Be an extra in a film
Complete a triathlon
Go on tour with a band
Be in a food fight
Jump into a pool with my clothes on
Milk a cow
Go cow tipping
Ride in a helicopter
Experience an earthquake
Go zorbing
Go canyoning
Trips to Take
Camino de Santiago – Spain
Visit an Amish town in Pennsylvania
Hike Colca Canyon – Cuzco, Peru
Hike the Inca Trail
Drive across the USA
Spend a season working on a vineyard/winery
Spend a season working on a dude ranch
Spend a season living/working in the Caribbean
Volunteer in an orphanage overseas
Spend a night in an ice hotel
Ride the Trans-Siberian across Asia
Gamble in Las Vegas
Float in the Dead Sea
Surf in Australia
Fly over Yellowstone National Park
Go surfing in Bali
See the changing of the guard in London, England
Live abroad for 6 months
Drive the Romantic Road in Germany
Visit all the national parks in the USA
Futbol game in South America
Go on an African safari
Places to Travel and Landmarks to See
Galapagos Islands
Dubai, UAE
New York City
Atlanta, Georgia
Easter Island, Chile
Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Bali, Indonesia
Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
The Vatican, Vatican, Italy
Statue of Liberty, New York, NY
Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
Big Ben, London, England
The Killing Fields and Toul Seng, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Acropolis and Parthenon, Athens, Greece
Austin, Texas, USA
Peru/Bolivia
Seoul, South Korea
Japan
Florida Keys, Florida, USA
Pyramids and Sphinx – Cairo, Egypt
Timbaktu, Mali
Dracula’s Castle – Transylvania, Romania
Great Wall of China – China
Ayers Rock – Australia
Mount Everest – Nepal/Tibet
Victoria Falls – Zambia/Zimbabwe
Great Barrier Reef – Australia
Buddhist Temple – Asia
Forbidden City – Beijing, China
Millennium Cave – Santo, Vanuatu
Stonehenge – England
Medieval City – Carcassonne, France
Nasouri Highlands – Vita Levu, Fiji
Petra (ancient ruins) – Jordan
Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) – Hotel Igloo Village Kakslauttanen, Finland
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
Blue Scholars played their first Seattle show in a while, selling out the Showbox at the Market with a back-to-back double feature. They were fresh off their new EP Oof, which contained my favorite track, “HI-808,” a tribute to Hawaii. It was my first time seeing Blue Scholars, and although they lived up to the hype, it was local emcee Macklemore who’s passionate opening performance who stole the show. Later on in the year, I saw both Macklemore and Blue Scholars yet again at Capitol Hill Block Party.
2. Passion Pit @ Sasquatch, photographed for SSG Music
Passion Pit played Sasquatch! Music Festival for the second year in a row, going from a smaller stage to the main stage in a year. These energetic indie pop rockers know how to put on an energetic show, and Sasquatch! was no exception.
3. Gorillaz @ Key Arena, photographed for Guerrilla Candy
Gorillaz embarked on their first-ever world tour, and with the entourage they brought with them, it was no wonder they don’t tour often. All that was missing from their all-star live entourage was Snoop Dogg, who instead made a video appearance as the group played tunes mostly off their new Plastic Beach album. Colorful, loud, and full of surprises as famous faces popped on-stage, this was easily one of the most exciting Seattle shows of the year.
Portland natives The Decemberists made their homecoming show on the mainstage in the middle of downtown Portland for the city’s annual MusicFest Northwest, and their hometown was happy to have them home. Lead singer Colin Meloy lead his band through a dozen crowd favorites off their older material, and debuted new tracks from their upcoming January 2011 release, The King is Dead. Charming, heartwarming, and fun, this was a great way to kick off my first MusicFest Northwest experience.
5. Janelle Monáe and Of Montreal @ the Paramount
[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Janelle Monáe and Of Montreal
Many are referring to Janelle Monáe as the next James Brown, and the petite singer with a strong set of pipes proved it as she opened for Of Montreal in Seattle this fall. Following Monáe’s entrancing performance was the wacky, colorfully unpredictable Of Montreal, whose live shows never cease to leave a few jaws dropped.
6. The Head and the Heart with The Weepies @ City Arts Fest
Local sweethearts The Head and the Heart have had an exciting year, going from playing impromptu gigs at No Depression Festival, to opening for Vampire Weekend and Dave Matthews, to getting a record deal with Sub Pop in December. In the middle of their rising fame, The Head and the Heart opened for The Weepies at The Croc before a packed crowd during the inaugural City Arts Festival in October. Most times they’ve opened for someone, the crowd has left before the headliner came on, but in this case, many were here to see Scottish sweethearts The Weepies play Seattle for the first time in quite some time (or…maybe ever). Neither band disappointed.
7. Shabazz Palaces @ MusicFest NW, photographed for SSG Music
Also new to the Sub Pop label this year are hip-hop duo Shabazz Palaces, who played a rare, intimate performance at a restaurant in Portland for MusicFest Northwest. The audience was essentially within eye level of the duo, and many sang along with each song.
8. The Black Keys @ Deck the Hall Ball, photographed for BackBeat Seattle
[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys
The Black Keys played second to the last at KNDD’s annual Deck the Hall Ball, but judging from audience reaction, they really should have been the headlining, closing act of the six-hour holiday music festival. Months before Deck the Hall Ball, The Black Keys packed The Paramount, and again at WaMu Theater, they had the crowd rocking and rolling along to many of their hit songs, as well as new material off their newest album Brothers. These guys never ever disappoint with their live shows, and it was a great way to end my 2010 concert experience.
Concerts photographed in 2010
1. Phoenix @ Showbox SoDo – Jan 23, 2010
2. Prefuse 73, Gas Lamp Killer, Voices Voices @ Neumos – Jan 30, 2010
3. Wilco, Califone @ Paramount – Feb 10, 2010
4. Head Like an Espresso Truck @ Neumos – Feb 12, 2010
5. Ladies Night (Sap’N, Lisa Dank, Canary Sing) @ Neumos – Feb 9, 2010
6. Sasquatch 2010 Lineup Party (Fresh Espresso, Deerhunter, Surfer Blood) @ The Croc – Feb 15, 2010
7. Alkaline Trio, Cursive @ Neumos – Feb 20, 2010
8. David Garrett @ The Moore – Feb 24, 2010
9. The Maldives, Or, the Whale @ Tractor Tavern – Mar 10, 2010
10. Jamie Cullum @ The Moore – Mar 21, 2010
11. Delhi 2 Dublin @ Nectar Lounge – Mar 28, 2010
12. Owl City @ The Paramount – Apr 1, 2010
13. Citizen Cope @ Showbox Market – Apr 2, 2010
14. Murder By Death @ Tractor Tavern – Apr 5, 2010
15. RJD2, Busdriver @ Neumos – Apr 11, 2010
16. Beach House @ Neumos – Apr 12, 2010
17. DeLorean @ The Vera – Apr 15, 2010
18. Tyler Hilton @ El Corazon – Apr 26, 2010
19. Clem Snide @ Tractor Tavern – May 19, 2010
20. Hard Rock Cafe Seattle (The Thermals, Ra Ra Riot) – May 20, 2010
21. Broken Bells, The Morning Benders @ Showbox Market – May 25, 2010
22. Sasquatch! Music Festival @ The Gorge – May 29-31, 2010 [/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][festival]
23. Yukon Blonde @ El Corazon – June 4, 2010
24. Imogen Heap @ The Paramount – June 14, 2010
25. Connor Desai @ ToST – June 11, 2010
26. Brian Jonestown Massacre, Federale @ Neumos – June 19, 2010
27. Stars @ The Triple Door – June 17, 2010
28. Lou Barlow, Sarah Jaffe @ Tractor Tavern – June 21, 2010
29. Carissa’s Wierd, Aveo @ Showbox Market – July 9, 2010
30. The Round 62 @ Woodland Park Zoo – July 18, 2010
31. Capitol Hill Block Party – July 23-25, 2010 [festival]
32. Wolf Parade, The Moools @ Showbox Market – July 26, 2010
33. Henry Clay People, Against Me!, Silversun Pickups – July 31, 2010
34. Matisyahu @ The Moore – Aug 7, 2010
35. Chromeo @ Showbox Market – Aug 12, 2010
36. Rodrigo y Gabriela @ Marymoor Park – Aug 13, 2010
37. Vans Warped Tour @ The Gorge – Aug 14, 2010 [festival]
38. No Depression Festival @ Marymoor Park – Aug 21, 2010 [festival]
39. Fistful of Mercy @ Easy Street Records – Aug 26, 2010
40 Rufus Wainwright @ The Paramount – Aug 25, 2010
41. Beach House, Dum Dum Girls @ Marymoor Park – Aug 29, 2010
42. Bumbershoot @ Seattle Center – Sep 4, 2010 [festival]
43. The Walkmen, The Helio Sequence @ Showbox Market – Sep 8, 2010
44. MusicFest Northwest in Portland, Oregon – Sep 11, 2010 [festival]
45. Vampire Weekend, The Head and the Heart @ The Paramount – Sep 22, 2010
46. Local Natives, The Union Line, The Love Language @ Showbox Market – Sep 24, 2010
47. Arcade Fire, Calexico @ Key Arena – Sep 29, 2010
48. Dirty Projectors, Dominique Young Unique @ Showbox Market – Sep 30, 2010
49. Land of Talk, Besnard Lakes @ The Croc – Oct 4, 2010
50. Frightened Rabbit, Bad Veins @ Showbox Market – Oct 7, 2010
51. Reverb Fest in Ballard – Oct 9, 2010 [festival]
52. Klaxons, Bad Veins – Oct 5, 2010
53. M.I.A., Rye Rye @ Showbox Market – Oct 17, 2010
54. Anberlin, Crash Kings, Civil Twilight @ Showbox SoDo – Oct 14, 2010
55. Deadmau5, Die Antwoord @ The Paramount – Oct 13, 2010
56. Gogol Bordello, Forró in the Dark @ Showbox SoDo – Oct 20, 2010 [festival]
57. The Weepies, The Head and the Heart, Lucy Schwartz @ The Croc – Oct 21, 2010
58. Big Boi, Fatal Lucciauno, Neema @ Showbox SoDo – Oct 23, 2010
59. The Vaselines @ Neumos – Oct 22, 2010
60. Mumford & Sons, Mt. Desolation @ The Paramount – Oct 24, 2010
61. Of Montreal, Janelle Monáe @ The Paramount – Oct 27, 2010
62. Gorillaz, N*E*R*D @ Key Arena – Nov 2, 2010
63. The Heavy @ Showbox Market – Nov 3, 2010
64. Wild Flag @ The Northern in Olympia – Nov 10, 2010
65. The Lonely Forest @ Neumos – Nov 11, 2010
66. A Perfect Circle @ Showbox Market – Nov 12, 2010
67. Wild Flag @ High Dive – Nov 12, 2010
68. Miley Cyrus @ Microsoft Store, Bellevue – Nov 20, 2010
69. Robyn @ Neumos – Nov 21, 2010
70. Gwar, The Casualties – Nov 28, 2010
71. Deck the Hall Ball @ WaMu Theater – Dec 8, 2010[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
Saturday was the Bing National Tailgating Championship regional event, held in Qwest Field in Seattle before the Seahawks/Falcons game. Four teams of devoted Seahawks fans bust out their grills and team spirit to compete for one of six regional tailgating championship titles, with the winner going on to nationals held at the 2011 Super Bowl. Judging this inaugural event were local celebrities Ethan Stowell, a chef, Jacob Green, a former Seahawk player, and Sir Mix-a-Lot, a producer/MC.
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
I spent this afternoon at the famous Fremont Troll in Seattle, where SantaCon 2010 was kicking off in the Emerald City. Hordes of locals dressed as Santa, or other holiday creatures, congregated under the bridge to chat, pose for photos, drink out of paper bags, and chant “ho ho ho” upon the ringleader’s cue. Mixed with your traditional Santas were some of the rowdiest and non-traditional Santas, elves, reindeer, other odd characters ever. Take a peek at some photos below! More up on my Flickr site.
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
